title: Atopic dermatitis and food hypersensitivity reactions.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the role of food hypersensitivity in atopic dermatitis and to determine whether patients with atopic dermatitis who had food hypersensitivity could be identified by screening prick skin tests using a limited number of food allergens.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with atopic dermatitis attending the Arkansas Children's Hospital Pediatric Allergy Clinic underwent allergy prick skin testing to a battery of food antigens. Patients with positive prick skin tests underwent double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One-hundred sixty-five patients were enrolled and completed the study. Patients ranged in age from 4 months to 21.9 years (mean 48.9 months). Ninety-eight (60%) patients had at least one positive prick skin test. A total of 266 double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenges were performed. Sixty-four patients (38.7% of total) were interpreted as having a positive challenge. Seven foods (milk, egg, peanut, soy, wheat, cod/catfish, cashew) accounted for 89% of the positive challenges. By use of screening prick skin tests for these seven foods we could identify 99% of the food allergic patients correctly.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms that most children with atopic dermatitis have food allergy that can be diagnosed by a prick skin test for the seven foods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, USA.
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Burks
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: James
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hiegel
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Wheeler
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zuerlein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000209:etiology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005502:Food; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D012882:Skin Tests
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens